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When? Started: 1993 Who? Started with staff and friends from U H S, Chester. Organiser: Martyn Harris We walk every Wednesday and Saturdays, New Years day and May Day. How many walk? Walks take place as long as there are at least 2 wanting to walk on that day. More walk on a Wednesday than on a Saturday. Most ever: 29. Current group size walking: 2-7 in mid-week and 2-4 on Saturday. Where do we walk? Saturday: Anywhere in North and Mid-Wales, Peak District, Shropshire and the Long Mynd and as far North as the Trough of Bowland. Thursday: Anywhere within about 40 miles of Chester. Type of walk: Distance: 6 – 14 miles (but usually under 10 miles). Climb: up to 4000’ (but usually very much less!). People involved on walks in 2024:- Martyn Harris, Fran Murphy, Sue and Michel Pelissier, Mike Dodd, David Savage,, Ed Meads, Nigel and Elaine Taylor, Winston Feather.

Saturday, 3 August 2013

Around the Great Orme 3rd August 2013

A panorama from the Western slopes of the Great Orme.
Feral goats basking in the sunshine on the Great Orme.
A panorama from the Great Orme just above the Happy Valley.
One of the four  Kestrels seen on the Western side of the Great Orme.
Walk stats: Distance: 9.8 miles. Climb: 1000' (Estimated as the wind assisted GPS reading of 1843' seems a little on the high side!).
Time: 5 hours 31 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.3 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.8 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn and Roger.
We arrived at the start on Llandudno West Shore, with a strong wind blowing off the sea towards us, and causing us to regret heading towards the beach to look at the para-surfers that were speeding back and forth along the sea, as we suffered a sand blasting before we hastily retreated!
The views all day were superb, there is always something special about walking in this area with so much coast to see, and the hills of Snowdonia to gaze upon too.
Lunch was taken in a shelter in Happy Valley, giving us a little respite from the wind and the Sun.
Bird seen or heard today included: Herring gull, Mute swan, Jackdaw, Carrion crow, Raven, Meadow pipit, Common kestrel, Barn swallow, Goldfinch, Fulmar, Great cormorant, Oystercatcher, Guillemot and  Great black-backed gull.
Some of the flowers seen today included: Common mallow, Sea mayweed, Common valerian, White clover, Meadow buttercup, Creeping thistle, Spear thistle, Harebell, Small scabious, Common ragwort (hosting a Cinnabar moth caterpillar), Butterfly bush, Bramble and Viper's bugloss.
There were lots of Small white and Gatekeeper butterflies around, and others that we failed to identify, although most were probably Graylings.
After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Britannia Inn, where the Lees bitter went down well.
Overall a good walk, always worth repeating, even if as today we were occasionally buzzed by model aeroplanes!

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